Acceptance in hard times
by YuriFanGirl15
Summary: Set during the West Virginia Mine Wars. Being adopted should be a happy thing. But not for Isabel Lock, she may have wanted to be adopted but not by someone with the intent to use her as a sort of replacement for a so called "defective" daughter. Will Bella be able to protect Alice and herself from the horrors that surround them? BellaxAlice Sequel is up! COMPLETE :D
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Twilight or any of its characters, Stephenie Meyer holds that honor. I am not that accomplished, but I am happy to say that I own my OCs.

A/N: This is my first story on Fanfiction, so be gentle. But I will gladly take all criticism to heart. And I would also like to give a heads up in advance for those people out there who actually clicked on this story. I am quite often laden with work from school and have to battle with family outings, so I will not have too much time to update but I will try to every chance I get.

This fic is taking place in West Virginia around the time of the Mine Wars. As you can tell already this fic is extremely AU. This fic is basically like a back story or a prequel to the main story which will be closer to the original story line. Forgive me if my facts aren't straight but I'll try my best. Thank You!

~ Chapter 1 ~

[ Isabel 1920] (A/N: I changed her name a little to match with the time, but she still likes Bella)

Have you ever had an impossible dream that you felt with all your heart, would never come true? But too your complete surprise it starts to unfold before your very eyes in the strangest way possible? My name is Isabel Lock and I live in an orphanage.

What happened today was totally unexpected. I was the oldest kid at the orphanage, at the ripe age of eighteen. I had always thought that I would never be adopted. I mean, who would come to an orphanage just to adopt a child that already has a solid personality, a personality that you couldn't influence yourself? Wasn't that what parenting was about? To watch the child grow, too notice as the child developed a personality that mirrored your own?

As I sat here next to my soon to be father, I realized that I was wrong, that apparently there are other reasons to adopt a child.

My "father" didn't hide his reason for wanting to adopt me. He told the orphanage warden with complete honesty what he wanted from me, like it was the most common thing in the world. Of course it didn't surprise me when the warden signed the papers like nothing was wrong. In this day and age no man cared about what the woman felt or wanted, we had zero rights over men.

I was being adopted for a horrible reason. This man wanted me as a replacement, for his apparently defective daughter. He wanted to balance out his family. His son was apparently perfect, as he explained to the warden, but his daughter was a different story. He didn't go into much detail but I could see the embarrassment and slight anger on his face that he was trying to hide.

Why would someone feel that way toward their own flesh and blood? But I guess it was normal, considering the feelings where meant for a woman. I knew at once I would never like this man for as long as I lived.

[Alice]

_My Father's new Heine-Velox rolled into the driveway of our house. He always liked the newest most expensive things to show off his power and money. I had scoffed to myself when he first brought it home. It stopped just shy of the front steps of the house. I watched as the door opened to reveal my father getting out of the auto-mobile. He strides purposefully to the other side and opens the door. The world around me started too slow as a stunning brunette stepped out of the auto-mobile. I had never seen such a beauty in all my life. A strange feeling started to well up within my chest. I was utterly confused. I haven't felt this way before. As if sensing my unease, the picture started too slowly fade into a deep darkness before I could form a plausible reason. _

I shook my head to clear the last bit of blurriness from my vision as I started to see reality. I sighed. It seemed like father finally accomplished his mission to find another daughter. He had been searching for a while, going from orphanage to orphanage, trying to find a beautiful girl around my age to make up for my defect. He wanted to make that perfectly clear every time he left the house to search. _" Mary Alice, I'm going out now to find a daughter that will make up for your disappointment. Be grateful that I don't drop you off there as well." _A smirk would always accompany a heartless snicker. A feeling of deep sadness washed over me. Tears sprung from my eyes without my consent. I wiped them away furiously with the back of my dress sleeve.

"Pull yourself together Mary Alice Brandon! Crying won't help your situation!" I scolded myself half-heartedly. The sadness stubbornly stayed just the way it was. My mind drifted toward the memory of my mother who would always manage to cheer me up. 

" _Alice, sweetheart never forget that your mother loves you just the way you are." _ Mother would always say stuff like that to me. This I remember the clearest. It was the last words she said to me before she died from illness. It was also the day that father started to hate me. He would yell at me, telling me it was my fault. If I could supposedly see the future, why hadn't I seen this coming? Or I had seen it and I let my Mother die by not telling anyone. He never believed me when I said I hadn't seen anything. My relationship with my father was never the same again.

My thoughts were interrupted by the noise of an approaching auto-mobile engine that was coming up the drive. I knew immediately who it was, my visions usually never fail. Unless I see to it myself, nothing will change. I learned this first hand throughout the years.

I slowly walked down the stairs. This was a routine that I never liked to do. Every time he came home I was supposed to greet him at the door, no matter what I was doing. Then suddenly I remembered the latter part of the vision. I was to have a sister, no matter what the reason; I was to have a sister. The thought made this daily routine seem a little less of what is was, a routine. For the first time in a long while, I was actually excited to greet my father at the door.

I got there just in time. I could hear two sets of footsteps coming up the front steps, the second slowly lagging behind that of the first. I turned the knob and swung the door open right as my father stepped inside not once had he paused in his stride toward the door, knowing with confidence that the door would open for him.

As he passed I saw who I had seen in my vision. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Said girl paused a little, shock evident on her face. I gave her an expectant look, to show her it was ok, that this always happened. She slowly walked in, bowing slightly as she did so. And I closed the door gently behind her.

[Bella]

Once I had thrown all my stuff, which wasn't much, into a bag. An orphanage worker immediately grabbed the bag off my bed and headed toward the door leading to the hall and out the front door. I followed close behind. What was wrong with him? The guy never paid me any mind before. I soon had my answer. Just outside the front door was parked a Heine-Velox, the most expensive auto-mobile I had ever seen. I slowly walked closer.

The man who was now my adoptive father was extremely rich. No wonder he felt like that toward his own daughter, he had an image to uphold. I held in my rising disgust and anger for the heartless person in front of me. " Isabel, your stuff has been put into the car already. Please get in." my so called father said gesturing toward the worker from earlier. The worker responded immediately and hurriedly opened the door for me. The door was closed behind me and the auto-mobile jerked forward shortly after, hardly giving the worker enough time to step back.

The ride was quiet as we drove down the road. A deep voice from my right broke the silence. " Isabel, you're going to like your new house. I own one of the town's most profitable coal mining companies. So, It's only natural that I have a marvelous house." He said boasting, trying to buy my affection with status. "I'll make sure you have a good care free life at the house. Your new sister," He paused. Anger flashed in his eyes at the mention of his own daughter. "… will make it happen."

I turned toward the window, and away from this disgrace of a man. "Thank you for your concern." I said though my teeth with as much feigned gratitude as I could muster. "Don't worry about it! You're my daughter now." He said with a mixture of smugness and relief, as if he had accomplished the greatest thing in the world. I sneered at the window barely holding myself back from cursing this man out.

It was completely silent the rest of the ride to my new "home". We entered through a grand gate and continued down the path to the house. As the house came into view, I couldn't help but gawk at the gigantic house that made me feel tiny in comparison. The house might have even trumped the orphanage, twice. And the orphanage was quite a comfortable size. I should have expected this. This man owned a company that was one of the biggest things in trade right now, coal. But this, this, was over doing it a bit.

By this time we had already stopped in front of the front steps. He turned to no doubt look at my face. That's exactly what he did. He started to laugh; like he knew he had won, that he would get what he wanted without a struggle that I would comply without question. Confidence was the main emotion on his face. "Like what you see?" He snickered as he got out. He walked to my door and opened it for me. Closing it behind me, he headed for the door.

As we got closer, I noticed he wasn't slowing down. It looked like he either thought there was no door, or it would magically open for him. The door swung open to reveal a goddess like girl with flowing jet black hair. He paid her no mind and strode right through. I hesitated looking at the girl with shock. She continued to look at me expectantly so I walked in bowing to her to show her I was grateful. The door closed softly behind me.

I had only taken a couple of steps until I started to look around in complete awe. The furnishings were of an extremely high taste. There were paintings everywhere you looked. In every room that I could see, there was at least one majestic statue or vase of basically every shape and size imaginable. Resting my hand on my chin in a thinking gesture, I took a tentative step toward a vase to examine the craftsmanship. The brush work of the design was amazing! This vase could only have been made by a long time professional.

As I was evaluating the vase I heard a very soft musical sound. From the sound of it, it seemed like the noise was being muffled. I turned toward the sound and realized that the musical noise was coming from the girl that previously opened the front door. That laugh, even though muffled, was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. A beautiful laugh suited a beautiful woman. The thing that puzzled me though, was why it looked like she was trying to make the noise non-existent.

When she noticed I had heard her, her face turned from amused to scared in a flash. I opened my mouth ready to ask the reason but she started to wave her arms back and forth furiously, effectively stopping my question before I said it. She mouthed out "Please don't". I looked at her with a confused, worried look. She replied with a "Later". Not wanting to find out the reason by talking, I nodded my head with understanding. With relief her mouth turned upward into a sweet smile and formed two silent words, "Thank you". I gave her a smile of my own and with one last glance; I turned toward the direction where my so called "father" had gone and proceeded down the seemingly never ending hallway.

A/N: And that's the first chapter! AlicexBella are adorable! :3

Please forgive any grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.

Thank you for your time! Reviews are appreciated! :D


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: If I owned Twilight the story would have gone in a whole different direction. But alas this is not so and the Twilight story is how it is.

A/N: I am so sorry that this chapter has taken so long for me to update but I did warn you about my schedule problems and that my laziness knows no bounds. So it's sadly been around a month or more since the last chapter. It sure doesn't seem like a month, time sure flies when you're lazy.

This fic is sort of like a prequel to the main story so it will not be too long. I would say around 5 or more chapters give or take. I will apologize for future chapter lateness and will ask that you try and be patient with me and my laziness. Thank You!

~ Chapter 2 ~

( Recap of Chapter 1 )

_[ Bella ]_

_When she noticed I had heard her, her face turned from amused to scared in a flash. I opened my mouth ready to ask the reason but she started to wave her arms back and forth furiously, effectively stopping my question before I said it. She mouthed out "Please don't". I looked at her with a confused, worried look. She replied with a "Later". Not wanting to find out the reason by talking, I nodded my head with understanding. With relief her mouth turned upward into a sweet smile and formed two silent words, "Thank you". I gave her a smile of my own and with one last glance; I turned toward the direction where my so called "father" had gone and proceeded down the seemingly never ending hallway._

[ Alice ]

My new sister walked pass me into the house and with her trailed one the best scents I've ever smelt. I quietly inhaled deeply before I could stop myself. I couldn't help it, my body acted on its own. It wanted more of that natural scent; it wanted more of the girl with the captivating chocolate brown eyes that were so different from my own electric blue. I came to realize at that moment, in a flash of a thought that I, Mary Alice Brandon liked this girl. I _liked _her, she might be my "sister", she might be a girl but I couldn't find the strength or will to care that in this day and age this sort of thing was frowned upon, was treated as some kind of mental problem. This strange warmth was spreading through my heart and gut, and I knew that my new found feelings for my "sister", was something that I couldn't change or ignore. Something inside me knew that this feeling was inevitable and would have happened sooner or later.

My face started to heat up at the realization of how embarrassing it would have been if my incontrollable actions were noticed. I may have come to terms with these new found feelings but I was not ready for them to be out in the open, I wasn't ready to risk being ridiculed. For now I'll just forget about these feelings that are beginning to rise. I need to lock them up for now and revisit them later when there is less risk of discovery or suspicion. Happy with this decision I closed the door and turned around to face my new "sister". She had a look of awe on her face that was laced with complete interest as she looked at the furnishings in the hall and in every room we passed. Suddenly she stopped abruptly, eyes falling on one of fathers more expensive vases. This vase was also particularly my favorite one in the whole house. The look on her face showed her appreciation of the design and the professional craftsmanship. She bent over slightly to examine the brushwork, eyes eagerly scanning each and every stroke. I couldn't help the laugh that was starting to escape my lips, she looked to cute. I covered my mouth quickly trying to stifle the sound so she wouldn't hear but apparently I hadn't succeeded because she turned around to look at me. Her eyes scanned me for a second before they returned to look into my eyes, chocolate brown locked with electric blue.

I stopped laughing but I no doubt still had an amused look on my face. Then a thought crossed my mind, she would no doubt try to talk to me. That wasn't good. Father would hear and come back to voice his disapproval of me laughing. He didn't like any sign that I was having a good time. He would probably punish me for being happy. Father hated the thought of me being happy after mother had died. He had told me I didn't have the right to be happy after what I did to her. I didn't have the right to be happy after I let her die. I had told him countless times that I didn't have control over my visions and that I didn't have one about mother dying. He didn't believe me and from then on I wasn't able to laugh in front of him. My amused look turned to one of fear before I could stop it. Her face took on a look of puzzlement at my sudden change of mood. Her mouth opened to voice her confusion but a stated to wave my arms around furiously. If she asked what was wrong I would surely be punished. Her mouth closed in response and I mouthed " Please don't". The look of confusion on her face grew deeper. " Later" I mouthed as a silent promise between her and I to speak of this again. She nodded slowly and a look of understanding spread across her face. " Thank you" I mouthed as a smile followed my words. She smiled at me in return and my heart stuttered at the notion. Her smile was like the light at the end of the tunnel, and the wonder in wonderful. At that moment as she turned to head down the hallway again I was sure that what I was feeling now was the equivalent to what it would feel like to fly.

I shook my head to clear my dazed vision and slowly followed her toward the room where our father was waiting for us to arrive. This was going to be an interesting conversation I mused. What would he tell her? I was quite certain that she already knew about why he adopted her in the first place. Father was never a secretive man. He would tell you what he wanted from you and you would do what he asked, there was no choice in the matter. He would use his place in society to force you into submission. He could give you everything you dreamed of or he could make your life a living hell. He could do this with a couple phone calls to his many resources, he owned the mining company for this town after all.

We walked into the room and I took my usual place beside my father who was sitting in his favorite chair. "Sit, Isabel." He said as he gestured to the chairs opposite of himself. She complied, albeit with reluctance that she was trying to hide. So, her name was Isabel. It was a beautiful name that seemed to match her, no other name would have been right otherwise.

" So, Isabel, how are you liking your new home so far?" father said with a smile that screamed confidence. " It's quite lovely." Isabel said, voice laced with barely hidden irritation as she noticed the confidence as well. He started to laugh with triumph " I just knew you'd like it.". He turned to me and his face twisted into an evil smirk. " Isabel, I want you to meet my **daughter**, Mary Alice. I want you to have the best time here so I am going to give her to you as a maid. She will do whatever you want without question and follow you wherever you go. I will allow you to do whatever you want with her and I will allow you to do whatever you wish as long as you do what I want you to do when I ask. I will also allow you to have all the money you require. All you need to do is ask. " He told her as he turned back to see her reaction. Isabel had a look of complete shock on her face. He just waited for her to answer, expectant smirk never wavering. I was glad that father's gaze was focused on her because I was sure to have an expression that likely mirrored hers.

Isabel recovered first and the shock was replaced with a blank look and then a smile. I couldn't figure out what she was thinking at that moment, it was like she was shutting out all of her emotions. " Thank you father. I will surely make great use of her." She said as she looked directly into father's eyes. "Wonderful! I will give you some money to get you started. You may do whatever you wish until dinner. Everyday dinner is at seven. The rest of your meals can be gotten out in town or you can fetch one of the many servants to make you something. I've assigned you your own driver, Joseph, will drive you wherever you want to go." With that he stood up, dug into his pocket and gave Isabel an insane amount of money before he walked off to likely go to his office upstairs.

I turned back around when father was out of sight and was greeted with the site of a shaking Isabel. She was looking at the ground, the hand that wasn't holding the money was clenched tightly into a fist. I was automatically worried and took a tentative step forward. But before I could ask what was wrong she stood up abruptly. She looked into my eyes for a second before she turned and walked out into the hallway. I paused shortly before I started walking quickly after her. It was my job now to follow her wherever she went, of course not when she went to relieve herself. People need privacy when they go to the bathroom.

I caught up to her as she reached the front door. She opened the door and stopped after a few feet. Looking around she turned to the right and toward the woods with me trying to catch up with her, she was practically running. After a while when we were quite a ways from the house she stopped and stood stock still. I watched her carefully not wanting to disturb the quiet moment. Her stock still form started to shake; the shaking was increasing in intensity right before my eyes with every second that passed. The tension in the air was stifling until finally, she blew.

"**ARRGGGGGG! **" Her sudden anger filled outburst was so loud that I jumped back a few feet. She slammed her fist into a nearby tree as the money fell to the forest floor. Isabel's fist was still connected to the tree as she was hunched over, huffing. A silence fell upon us. I had no idea what to say. This situation had me at a complete lost for words.

I walked slowly toward her and bent over to retrieve the money on the floor. If I didn't know what to say I had to at least to something. I stood back up once I had collected all the money and looked at her; she had caught her breath but was still in her hunched over position, looking at the ground. "…unforgivable." She whispered so softly I barely heard her. "I'm sorry?" I said wanting to know what she was mumbling about. "It's unforgivable!" she yelled as she whirled around to face me. Her eyes where lit in an angry fire that I could tell was not aimed toward me. "It's unforgivable how he treats you" her voice was lowered in anger. "That disgrace of a man has no right to treat you that way. You are a human being. You are not to be owned and given away as if you were nothing."

We both said nothing as we looked into each other's eyes. A sad smile crossed my face as I looked away from her to stare at a nearby tree. "It's ok. I'm used to the way he treats me, it's nothing new to me. Please don't let it trouble you." Firm hands gripped my shoulders and I looked back toward her in surprise. "It is not ok! The way he treats you is not ok. The way he treats you as if you were lower than a servant is not ok." She says as she looks me deeply in the eyes. I could see compassion, and disgust for our father in her eyes.

"I know how he treats me is bad but I can't do anything about it. It's been like this for more than half my life. I'm been doing well so far." I couldn't hold back the tears that slipped from eyes and down my face as I looked up her. Her face changed into a grimace of sorrow and she pulled me into her warm embrace as her arms circled my neck, her chin resting on my shoulder. I was frozen in surprise at the sudden intimate and foreign contact. I hadn't been hugged like this since my mother passed. My arms had a will of their own as I slowly snaked my arms around her waist and snuggled my face into her shoulder as I began to cry. My crying soon turned into full out sobbing as I hugged this almost complete stranger for comfort. We stayed like this, in each other's arms for a while as my sobs slowly turned into quiet sniffling.

A/N: And chapter two is finally finished! I deeply apologize for how late this chapter is. I had all the ideas ready in my head too! (sigh)… Forgive me for my indescribable laziness and for future chapter lateness.

You're welcome to tell me what you think and/or if you got some fresh idea cookies ready for me. I'll tell you guys this now, I might not reply to you on account of laziness again. So I want to say that I always read the reviews and I am very thankful for your thoughts. Thank you everyone! :D

P.S. : I am also sorry for any grammatical errors or miss spelling that you may find.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. If I did, they would be saving the galaxy from Reapers and stolen sweet rolls…. Hehe.

A/N: Hello! It's been a while hasn't it? I have found some free time and some motivation that cleared the fog of my laziness. We have started to read _"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"_ in school and I am already behind by eight chapters… sad. It's an interesting classic but the vernacular of the time slows down my reading and comprehension.

But anyway, enough of my boring life! Let's get on with it! Sorry in advance for grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors... and any other errors imaginable.

~ Chapter 3 ~

(Recap of chapter 2)

"_I know how he treats me is bad but I can't do anything about it. It's been like this for more than half my life. I'm been doing well so far." I couldn't hold back the tears that slipped from eyes and down my face as I looked up her. Her face changed into a grimace of sorrow and she pulled me into her warm embrace as her arms circled my neck, her chin resting on my shoulder. I was frozen in surprise at the sudden intimate and foreign contact. I hadn't been hugged like this since my mother passed. My arms had a will of their own as I slowly snaked my arms around her waist and snuggled my face into her shoulder as I began to cry. My crying soon turned into full out sobbing as I hugged this almost complete stranger for comfort. We stayed like this, in each other's arms for a while as my sobs slowly turned into quiet sniffling. _

[Bella]

I turned into the living room to find my new father sitting in a worn chair. The chair looked out of place with all the expensive décor around the room. It must have been his favorite chair.

I watched as the black haired goddess walked to stand right beside his chair. She stood there with her hands clasped in front of her as if she was trained to do just that. She had not hesitated at all. She stood completely straight. There was no question in her demeanor like that was her place, that that was where she should be. I couldn't believe this man! Is this how he treated people? Is this how he views people? Is this how highly he sees himself?

"Sit, Isabel" He said gesturing to the chairs across from him. Grinding my teeth, I obeyed. "So, Isabel, how are you liking your new home so far?" he said with a confident smile. "It's quite lovely" I reply with barely hidden irritation. "I just knew you'd like it" he said, triumph in his voice like he'd won the prize. Turning toward the girl, an evil smirk spread across his face. "Isabel, I want you to meet my daughter, Mary Alice. I want you to have the best time here so I am going to give her to you as a maid. She will do whatever you want without question and follow you wherever you go. I will allow you to do whatever you want with her and I will allow you to do whatever you wish as long as you do what I want you to do when I ask. I will also allow you to have all the money you require. All you need to do is ask" he said turning back to me to no doubt see my reaction.

I was completely shocked, this goddess was his daughter. I had expected this man to be horrible to his daughter, but this was too much. This beautiful girl was acting as his personal servant. She was opening doors for him and he didn't even spare her a glance of acknowledgement. This was the worst kind of man there was on this earth. This girl, Alice, was treated like a possession. Alice is her own person and he is giving her away to me like she was nothing more than a bargaining tool.

This last thought lit the fuse. His mistreatment of his own daughter lit the fuse to the bomb. My face converted into an emotionless mask, and I smiled. "Thank you father, I will surely make great use of her." I said looking directly into his eyes. "Wonderful! I will give you some money to get you started. You may do whatever you wish until dinner. Everyday dinner is at seven. The rest of your meals can be gotten out in town or you can fetch one of the many servants to make you something. I've assigned you your own driver, Joseph, will drive you wherever you want to go." With that he stood up, dug into his pocket and placed a stack of money into my hand before leaving to go upstairs.

My eyes fell to the ground, hand clenching into a tight fist. I could feel myself start to shake. My rage for that man was starting to get the best of me, it wanted out. I stood up abruptly and looked at Alice who was in mid step. I looked into her confused and worried eyes for a second before I stormed into the hallway. I could hear her frantic footsteps as she tried to catch up with me. I swung the door open and stopped after a few feet. I looked around for a place to let my anger out. I then spotted the woods to my right. I started for it, practically running. Alice was struggling to keep up without actually running. After we were quite a ways away from the house I stopped. My rage wanted an out and my whole body started to shake, its intensity increasing as the seconds ticked by. It continued like this until finally the fuse reached the end, and I snapped.

"ARRGGGGGGGGGGG!" I screamed with rage and loathing as I slammed my fist into a nearby tree. I could care less as the money slowly floated to the forest floor. From the corner of my eye I could see that Alice had jumped back a few feet. With by fist still connected to the tree, my back hunched, I started to huff.

After a silence filled moment, Alice slowly walked toward me and bent down to pick up the money that I had forgotten in my blind rage. She stood up once she was finished and looked at me. By now I had caught my breath but I still had not straightened from my hunched over position. "…unforgivable" I whispered so softly she likely had to strain to hear me. " I'm sorry?" she asked. " It's unforgivable!" I yelled, whirling around to face her. "It's unforgivable how he treats you" my voice lowered in anger. "That disgrace of a man has no right to treat you that way. You are a human being. You are not to be owned and given away as if you were nothing." We both said nothing as we looked into each other's eyes. A sad smile crossed her face as she looked away from me to stare at a nearby tree. "It's ok. I'm used to the way he treats me, it's nothing new to me. Please don't let it trouble you."

A surge of anger filled my body. I griped her shoulders firmly and she looked at me in surprise. "It is not ok! The way he treats you is not ok. The way he treats you as if you were lower than a servant is not ok." I said as I looked deeply into her electric blue eyes.

"I know how he treats me is bad but I can't do anything about it. It's been like this for more than half my life. I'm been doing well so far." She said as tears rolled down her cheeks. I grimaced and in a split second decision, pulled Alice into my arms. She froze in surprise but soon her arms snaked around my waist and her face buried into my shoulder as she sobbed. We stayed in this intimate embrace as her sobs turned into quiet sniffling.

[Alice]

My sobbing was finally starting to lose its edge but I didn't want to let go of my sister. Or would it be master? Hmmm, I suppose both, now that she "owns" me. I mean I don't mind if it's her… Whoa there! Where's my thoughts heading? I shouldn't be resigned to this situation so quickly! Even if I have no choice in the matter, I should at least have worries and doubts. For all I know this beautiful brown eyed wonder could be a crazy, temperamen-

"Alice, are you all right?" Isabel said, cutting off my thoughts. She uncoiled her arms and placed her hands on my shoulders, holding me out at arm's length. I looked up into those brown eyes, about to say something to reassure her that I was fine but she did something that froze my movements and thought process. Isabel lifted her right hand from my shoulder and brushed a long strand of hair from my face. She must have mistaken my expression because she lifted her hands in the air as an apologetic gesture and backed away a few steps.

"I'm so sorry! Did I offend…?" I interrupted her mid-sentence. "NO! I mean, no of course not. You just surprised me." I closed the gap and held her hands in my own. I looked up and smiled brightly. She hesitated for a second but returned my smile. Seeing her smile at me from such close proximity caused my heart to stutter in happiness.

"So… Alice huh?" I asked, wondering about the name shortening. "Yeah…well, I thought it matched you way better." She said, freeing her hands and started to scratch the back of her neck. "Oh, don't get me wrong! I love it!" I said beaming up at her. "Alice it is then" She said smiling. "Good. Then I'll call you Bella!" The name Bella just called to me somehow. I think mother used to say that bella meant "beautiful" in French. It fit her perfectly. "Bella?" she asked. "Uh huh! That's going to be my name for you." I answered enthusiastically. "Hmmm…Bella huh? I like it." She said nodding her head. "Perfect! It didn't matter if you liked it or not. I would have still called you that." I admitted. My smirk threw her off a bit but she returned it quickly.

"Well then Mary Alice, shall we return to the house?" She asked in a teasing tone. She bowed slightly and made a wide gesture with her arm, motioning for me to go first. "Why thank you, I think we shall." I said smiling and skipped toward the direction of home. I heard Bella mumble something that I didn't catch and followed after me.

We fell into a comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's company. Our walk was silent until my curiosity got the better of me. "Hey, Bella? What's your family name?" I asked. "My full name is Isabel Maryanne Locke. "She responded, glancing at a chirping bird perched in a nearby tree. "Isabel Maryanne Locke… I like it! It suits you." I said hopping over a rotten log gracefully. "Thank you. What's yours?" She asked glancing toward me. "My full name is Mary Alice Brandon." I said flashing a smile her way.

Bella was going to say something back but realized that the house was coming into view. She shut her mouth and looked me in the eyes purposely. Her eyes said "Follow my lead". I nodded and she turned around, striding a few steps in front of me. She stopped right in front of the door and glanced at me. It took me a few seconds but I understood what she wanted me to do. I hurriedly stepped forward and opened the door. Bella strode in not a second later.

"Ah! Returned from your walk I see." Father said as he descended the stairs. I slowly took my place slightly behind Bella, bowing my head down to look at the floor submissively. "Yes, it was quite relaxing." She replied curtly. I could tell that was as polite as her tone was going to get with our father. Bella was still extremely mad; it was rolling off her in waves.

"Are you using Mary Alice to her full potential?" Father asked with a smirk. I looked out the window so I wouldn't have to see the expression in his face. "She's very useful. I must say." Bella replied. Something in Bella's voice made me look back at her. I had to hold back a gasp. Her face had turned back to the emotionless mask I saw earlier today. I started to panic in my head. That face wasn't good, I had a strong feeling that at any moment she would lose it and slam a fist in his face. I had to think fast… I got it!

"Shall I show you to your room, master?" I asked, hoping that my distraction would do the trick. Bella turned toward me and I could see relief mixed in with her anger. "Hmmm, that is a good idea. I have things to unpack, lead the way." She replied in a voice of forced authority. I tentatively walked past our father and headed for the stairs, Bella at my heels. I heard Bella mutter an 'excuse me' to father as she passed him. I led us up the stairs and down the hallway. Reaching the end of the hall, I turned to my left and opened the door that was right across from the rooms where all the servants shared.

A/N: Finally, Chapter 3! Sorry for the delay and all that jazz. I apologize for all grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. Laziness is a bitch!

P.S.: Happy Easter guys! :) ( I don't even like Easter too much… What's with the eggs anyway?)


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: If I owned twilight wouldn't you think it would have happened differently? I wouldn't be on this site otherwise.

A/N: Yo! Damn its been forever hasn't it? I'm actually started working on this chapter way earlier but look how that turned out. I have two stories out now and my mind keeps switching gears.

(Sigh) My final test for Huck Finn is soon and I pretty much only red the beginning and end of the novel… Hmmm, this is the perfect situation for online Cliff notes.

But anyway, enough about me! Let's get on with this shall we? Please excuse any grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors... and any other errors imaginable. Oh! And just a heads up, I tend to swear… a lot. So the characters in my stories might have a very colorful vocabulary at some point when they get mad. :) T-M depending on your views.

~ Chapter 4 ~

(Recap of chapter 3)

"_Are you using Mary Alice to her full potential?" Father asked with a smirk. I looked out the window so I wouldn't have to see the expression on his face. "She's very useful. I must say." Bella replied. Something in Bella's voice made me look back at her. I had to hold back a gasp. Her face had turned back to the emotionless mask I saw earlier today. I started to panic in my head. That face wasn't good, I had a strong feeling that at any moment she would lose it and slam a fist in his face. I had to think fast… I got it!_

"_Shall I show you to your room, master?" I asked, hoping that my distraction would do the trick. Bella turned toward me and I could see relief mixed in with her anger. "Hmmm, that is a good idea. I have things to unpack, lead the way." She replied in a voice of forced authority. I tentatively walked past our father and headed for the stairs, Bella at my heels. I heard Bella mutter an 'excuse me' to father as she passed him. I led us up the stairs and down the hallway. Reaching the end of the hall, I turned to my left and opened the door that was right across from the rooms where all the servants shared._

[Bella]

I… I couldn't believe this fuck-head. How dare he treat his own daughter lower than a slave or servant! 'Are you using Mary Alice to her full potential?' he asks. Fuck off! I am not "using" Alice, she is her own person and can and will do whatever she damn well pleases in my presence! Alice has had to put up with her father for years; I will not give her anymore disrespect or pain. In my eyes this wonderful person is the most deserving of respect and kindness.

"Bella? Are you alright?" A voice next to me pulls me out of my inner ramblings. I turned to look at Alice's concerned face. I must have spaced out for a little. "I'm fine Alice, just thinking." I reply, giving her a small reassuring smile. Alice returns my smile and turns back toward the intricate door in front of us. "This is you new room Bella. What do you think?" She asks as she swings the door open.

What do I think? What do I think? This room was fit for royalty! I lived in an orphanage just a few hours ago and you ask me what I think? "Alice this room is gorgeous! I can practically see the sparkles in the air!" I exclaim awe struck.

Looking around the room was like seeing a room right out of the castle in France. The walls were painted with an intricate black flower pattern. My new bed was HUGE with a matching black and red flower spread. There were bookshelves lining the walls filled with books I have either never read or heard of before. There was even my own washroom! Walking toward the window I notice the view of the forest and the mountains. With a gasp I look toward the mountains and admire the slowly setting sun.

Hearing a giggle I turn toward my left. Alice had a hand over her mouth and was gazing at me with amusement. Our eyes met and I just had to smile. This was Alice's full potential, her happiness and laughter could uplift a person with just a fleeting glance. This woman in front of me was not 'Mary Alice' as our father likes to call her; no…this… is Alice.

I broke our gaze as I turned to sit on my new bed. "So Alice, why were you so frantic that I not say anything to you earlier?" I asked motioning for her to sit next to me. She hesitated for a second but sat next to me shortly after.

"Father doesn't like me having fun in anyway. He might have heard you and come to see what was happening. I wouldn't have been able to stop you from telling him that I had laughed and I would have been punished." Alice said as she stared at the wall, unseeing.

"Alice, I don't understand. Why would he treat his own daughter this way? A parent is supposed to care for their own blood." I said looking toward Alice's turned head.

"… If I tell you my story will you listen without interruption?" Alice asked me, her stare toward the wall never wavering.

"Of course I will Alice. We have just met and you are willing to tell me your story, I will listen." I responded trying to reassure her.

"… I… I can…" Alice paused and inhaled deeply, seemingly trying to prepare herself. "I can see the future. I have visions that show me what will happen and can change depending on a person's decision."

Alice stopped, giving me time to digest the new information. Amazing… Since I first saw Alice I could just tell that she was special. This girl was a light in the dark; she was the diamond in a pile of rocks.

"Father would always make me take different types of medicines to try and cure me. I've always known that what I had wasn't an illness. My mother had thought so too. I had loved my mother dearly." Alice paused, gathering her thoughts and started again. "Mother had grown sick and one day I had a vision that she would get worse and eventually pass on. I was frantic and scared but Father would not listen, always dismissing me before I could finish. And soon it was the day that mother would pass. I had not left her bed side the entire day. Mother had eventually passed and Father was adamant on turning the blame on me. He would say that 'If you could see the future why hadn't you seen this coming?' or 'You saw this didn't you? And you let it happen, you let her die!'"

Alice stopped her story; tears were running down her face. The sight broke my heart, the pain in her expression made my chest tighten painfully.

"Father was never the same toward me again. He would treat me with disdain and disgust for what I had done. I may be treated badly but how could I blame him? I had seen it happening and I didn't try hard enough. If I had just pushed harder maybe-"

I couldn't sit and listen anymore, this was too much. I abruptly grabbed her chin in my hand and gently turned her face so her eyes met mine. "Don't you dare! That was not your fault! Don't blame yourself for something that could not be helped. You are not the one at fault! That man's ignorance is what made your vision play out. Stop torturing yourself!" I scolded in a low voice.

I knew I was crying now. The pain and sadness that I felt was too much. Alice was crying as well but harder than I. I pulled her toward me and pushed her face into my neck to muffle her sobs. My left arm was securely around her waist holding her to me and my right hand was on her head cradling her to the crook of my neck.

Alice snaked her arms around my waist and hugged me like I was her lifeline. It was like if she let go she would fall. I responded by pulling her tighter to me, mirroring the strength in her hold on me except slightly tighter.

We didn't move even after Alice had calmed down. It was as if we didn't want the moment to break. We sat here holding each other, watching as the room slowly got darker. Alice eventually tried to pull away but couldn't because of my tight hold on her. I let her go and stared into her eyes. We must have been in that position for a while because the red in her eyes were hardly visible. You would have to be as close to her as I was right now to tell if there was any red.

"… It's almost dinner time. You must not be late." Alice said, flashing me a smile and standing up.

I groaned standing up as well. "Of course…dinner." I said dryly, my expression like I had a bad taste in my mouth.

I was going to head toward the door when something in Alice's sentence caught my attention. "I must not be late? What about you?" I asked curiously.

"We servants don't eat at the table with Father. We take our food up to our room." Alice answered me.

What? That is not acceptable! All the other servants may make a little sense but Alice is his daughter. How dare he make his own daughter not eat at the table with him! This was going to be fixed; I would make sure of it. So help me, Alice is going to sit at the table with our Father and I.

With that thought I stormed out of the room and into the hallway. Alice must have seen the anger and determination in my face because she was rushing after me. "Bella? Bella!" She whisper yelled after me but I paid no mind. My mind was set to do something and I was going to do it one way or the other. Alice will soon find out how stubborn a person I can be. I practically stomped my way down the stairs and turned the corner that headed in the direction of the dining room. Alice tried to grab my arm but she was too late.

"Father I need to speak to you about something" I said standing on the opposite side of the table as he.

"Very well, what can I help you with?" He said as his eyes glanced to Alice slightly behind me with her head bowed. The way Alice's head was bowed made me more determined and angry.

"Yes, I would like for A- Mary Alice here to eat beside me from now on." I said quickly correcting my almost slip of my name for Alice. He raised an eyebrow with curiosity.

"And why might you want that my dear?" He asked putting his elbows on the table and intertwining his hands.

A/N: Oh My God I finally finished this chapter! Sorry I couldn't get it out sooner. My family wanted to play tourist all week. But anyway thank you for waiting and not giving up on me!

Please forgive any grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. :)

Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: If I owned Twilight I wouldn't need to make stories on now would I?

A/N: I'm going for an all-time record for updating this story! Two chapters for the same story in one week! Bring it baby!

~Chapter 5~

(Recap of chapter 4)

_With that thought I stormed out of the room and into the hallway. Alice must have seen the anger and determination in my face because she was rushing after me. "Bella? Bella!" She whisper yelled after me but I paid no mind. My mind was set to do something and I was going to do it one way or the other. Alice will soon find out how stubborn a person I can be. I practically stomped my way down the stairs and turned the corner that headed in the direction of the dining room. Alice tried to grab my arm but she was too late. _

"_Father I need to speak to you about something" I said standing on the opposite side of the table as he. _

"_Very well, what can I help you with?" He said as his eyes glanced to Alice slightly behind me with her head bowed. The way Alice's head was bowed made me more determined and angry._

"_Yes, I would like for A- Mary Alice here to eat beside me from now on." I said quickly correcting my almost slip of my name for Alice. He raised an eyebrow with curiosity. _

"_And why might you want that my dear?" He asked putting his elbows on the table and intertwining his hands._

[Bella]

"It's for the chance that I might need something when I am here eating at the table with you. I can't very well get it myself can I?" I challenged emotionlessly to his face. Would he really go against me when he wants something from me? I may be good now but that can change, I can surely mess with his reputation if I so wished.

"Hmmm, you make a good point. Very well, I shall allow it." He said, going back to the food that was in front of him. Did he really think I didn't see the scowl he sent Alice's way?

"Father I'm home! The mine was horrible today! There was this one man who thought he could talk back to me, you must fire…" A man about twenty-five or so walked into the room but stopped talking when he saw me sitting at the table, Alice sitting to my left.

"And who have we here father?" He asked, his tone attempting to flatter me. It wasn't working, quite the opposite actually. "Ah! This is your new sister, Isabel. Isabel this is Cecil, your brother." I almost forgot about the brother, the father is bad enough. "Mary Alice is going to serve her from now on."

"Pleasure" was all I managed to get out. Cecil was the type of person I avoid confrontation with at all cost. "Ah, But the pleasure is all mine." He said, moving to sit directly across from me. Urg! The way he just said 'mine' made my skin crawl.

Dinner was uneventful. I ate my food as fast as I could without choking; I wanted to get out of the room. That bastard Cecil was looking at me the entire time like I was more appetizing then his food. Ewww! Never. In. Your. Lifetime. Asshole. I was glad Alice was having the same thoughts as me because she finished eating around the same time as me. I had excused ourselves and then we practically bolted up to my room.

We had talked on my bed for a little while. It was pleasant and I was having a good time until she said it was getting late and she had to go bathe and then go back to the servant's quarters. Servant's quarters? Oh, that better not be what I think it is. "What is the servant's quarters?" I asked. "Oh, that's where we all sleep. We also take turns bathing." Alice replied like it was the most common thing in the world.

"Get your things." I said, making my decision. I was not letting her sleep with all the other servants. "Sorry?" She asked confused. "You are going to stay in this room from now on. And you are taking a bath here to." I explained, looking her square in the eyes. She was going to protest but I cut her off. "Alice, he said that you were mine and that I can do whatever I want with you. He can't go back on his word. I won't let you live like this in your own family home." I said with finality in my voice.

I gave her a reassuring smile and gestured for the door. Nodding her head she smiled and left to get her things.

(Fast-forward)

Alice and I had both finished taking a bath and now it was time for us to go to sleep. Alice was just about to spread a blanket on the floor before I interfered. "Alice, what are you doing?" I asked. I knew what she was doing but I just wanted to see her face when I asked. "I'm going to sleep on the floor?" she asked, unsure of herself now that I asked. "No you're not. You're sleeping with me on this oversized bed. I would never make you sleep on the floor." I said lying down on one side of the bed. When she didn't move I made a wide arm gesture to the other side of the bed. She smiled at me before climbing on to the other side.

"That's better. Good night Alice, see you in the morning." I said turning to face the wall and closing my eyes. "Good night Bella." I heard her say before I drifted off to sleep.

[Alice]

I woke up to the sun shining in my face. Hmmm, that's funny. There is no window in the servant's quarters… "Ah!" I exclaimed, sitting upright in bed. Everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours or so, came back to me in a rush.

I looked to my right to find my new "sister" still sleeping soundly next to me. The sight brought an affectionate smile to my face. This wonderful person next to me has shown me so much kindness. She has barely known me a day yet acts like she has known me all her life. Sure the other servants are nice to me but never to such extent. It's been years since I've had the privilege of experiencing such joy. She's the only person besides my mother that has accepted me for who I am. I don't dare tell the others. I want to live as peacefully as possible.

Bella started to stir from her sleep and then turned over to look at me. She proceeded to give me a warm smile but stopped half way, her face turning into one of panic. I gave her a confused look when she grabbed my face in her hands. "Are you ok? Is something the matter?" She asked me in panic and worry. It was only then that I noticed the tears running down my cheeks. Using her thumbs she slowly brushed the tears away.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking about some things." I said, giving her a small smile. Bella looked into my eyes as if searching for something before letting go with a smile of her own when she found it. She climbed out of bed and stretched her arms above her head.

Right at that moment a light knock was heard from the door. Bella walked over to the door and opened it to reveal her new driver, Joseph. "The master would like to see you in the lounge down stairs." He said, eyes flashing to me for a second before focusing back to Bella. "Very well. Tell him I'll be down shortly." She said before slowly closing the door as to not offend him.

"It was too good to be true. The morning was so quiet and peaceful." Bella said bitterly. I giggled at her before going to look through my stuff to get a proper dress. When I found a suitable dress I scurried into the wash room to change. I came back out to find that Bella had changed when I was in the wash room.

"Shall we?" she asked playfully before strolling from the room. I followed closely behind. When we made it to the lounge I stayed slightly behind, like a good servant is supposed to.

"The servants were telling me how worried they were when Mary Alice didn't return to the servant's quarters. May I ask why?" Father asked Bella, glancing my way.

"You said that she was mine and that I could do what I want with her didn't you?" Bella countered, challenge in her voice. Surprise and then remembrance crossed his face.

"That is correct. It is fine then." He said. His face looked like a child losing a game at that moment and I had to bite my hand behind Bella's back to stop myself from laughing.

Bella bowed her head slightly before turning on her heel and heading up the stairs to he- our room. I followed her closely. "Alice can you go and get the money from yesterday? We're going out today. I'm not staying in this house all day." She asked me as we got to the room. "Sure, I put it in your drawer when you weren't looking." I said rushing into the room and grabbing the bundle of money that I had tied together with a string.

When I returned she smiled and started toward the stairs again. "And off we go." She said cheerily. No doubt happy at the prospect of leaving the house. Her smile was infectious and I smiled as well.

We were met by Joseph on the front porch. "I would like to go to town please." Bella said politely. Joseph looked surprised by the respect he was receiving but recovered quickly. "Of course." He said gesturing for us to get in the vehicle, smiling the entire time.

(In town)

Joseph and Bella had become fast friends. Bella would ask us questions about the things and buildings we passed and Joseph and I would answer. I could tell this was the most fun Joseph had in quite a while. We had finally made it to a little shop that sold food, Bella had insisted on buying food for all of us. Joseph had been resistant at first but gratefully accepted it after Bella wouldn't let it go.

Bella wanted to walk around the shopping part of town so Joseph parked the automobile and said he would wait. Bella was looking at everything like a child in a candy shop. Bella's excitement kept a smile on my face as she dragged me along, looking into every shop that looked interesting.

We continued our walk down the street when Bella suddenly stopped. I had almost banged into her from the abruptness. "Bella, what is it?" I asked watching as she kept staring into the window of a jewelry shop.

[Bella]

I was dragging Alice along when a flash of blue caught my eye. I immediately stopped to stare into the shop window. Right there in the window was a beautiful silver rhinestone bracelet with blue jewels mixed in. It reminded me a lot of Alice's electric blue eyes. I smiled, I had to get it.

"Bella, what is it?" Alice asked next to me. Without saying a word I dragged Alice into the shop and stopped right in front of the table with the bracelet.

"Can I help you ma'am?" A middle aged man asked walking over to stand behind the table I was looking at. "Can I see that?" I asked all smiles. "Of course, help yourself." He said, handing me the bracelet. I grabbed it and brought it closer to my face to get a better look. Smiling, I twirled around to face Alice. I grabbed her arm and clasped the bracelet to her wrist, it fit perfectly. "Bella, what are you-" I didn't let her finish, cutting her off. "How much?" I asked the man. He raised an eyebrow at me, giving me a strange look.

I don't give a shit what he thinks. He better be smart and let it go, I am a potential customer. "That particular one is thirty scrips." (A/N: I have no idea what the currency is so I'm just using what they paid the miners, scrips. Just imagine how much something like that would cost now.) Smart man. "Bella!" I wasn't listening as I gave the man most of the money I had with me and dragged Alice back out of the shop.

"I hope you didn't just do what I think you did." Alice said looking at me in disbelief as we started to walk back the way we came. "Oh believe it!" I said, smiling at Alice. "Do you know how expensive this is?" Alice asked me with a slight squeak in her voice. That's so cute. "Of course I do! I paid for it!" I replied, smile never wavering. "W-why would you do that?" She asked incredulously. "It reminded me of your eyes." I said. Alice stared at me for a little before smiling and shaking her head in disbelief. "Just hide it under your dress sleeve." I said while looking back at her. "I will. Thank you Bella." Alice said with a beaming smile. I would have smiled back but something strange stopped me.

I leaned down and whispered into Alice's ear, "I think that man is following us." I saw an alleyway up ahead and pulled Alice down the alley with me. I stopped and turned around, waiting. Alice grabbed my dress sleeve tightly. We watched as a man with blonde hair tied back with a string walked into the alleyway and stopped.

"Why are you following us? What do you want?" I spat vehemently. A disturbing chuckle made a shiver run up my spine. "Ah, you both smell divine. But don't worry; I'll get what I want soon. It isn't the right time yet." He stated, eyes glowing a disturbing blood red.

A/N: Oh yeah baby! Update record for this story! (Bows and waves) And it's longer then the last chapter!

It's coming to an end soon and I can finally start the next arc of the story! I'd say around 2-3 chapters before the end. Look forward to it!

I apologize for any grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors!

Thanks for reading! :)

Reviews will make my laziness cower in a corner and chapters might come out quicker!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Hey, do you hear that? That's the echoing sound of my bank account because I don't own Twilight.

A/N: I'm sorry that it has been so long since my last update but alas I had some things to do. Some friends of mine came down from Philadelphia. I just had to help them take in all that is the beautiful island of Oahu. I had a good time and now I want to reward you for your patience with me and give you your long awaited update.

**IMPORTANT!**: just posted this on July 4th 2012 _"Please note we would like to clarify the content policy we have in place since 2002. follows the Fiction Rating system ranging from Fiction K to Fiction M. Although Fiction Ratings goes up to Fiction MA, since 2002 has not allowed Fiction MA rated content which can contain adult/explicit content on the site. only accepts content in the Fiction K through Fiction M range. Fiction M can contain adult language, themes and suggestions. Detailed descriptions of physical interaction of sexual or violent nature is considered Fiction MA and has not been allowed on the site since 2002."_

Okay guys, I don't know how to deal with this. Isn't the sites motto "unleash your imagination"? I was going to have a "detailed description of physical interaction of sexual nature" in this stories sequel that was going to be "adult/explicit" but now I can't. I want to keep my stories from being deleted. But I can tone it down to be "adult themed" that will allow me to make the scene still intimate yet not a "detailed description". I will be vague but you would still be able to tell what's happening and can fill in the blanks with your imagination. So I apologize for that.

~ Chapter 6 ~

(Recap of chapter 5)

"_I hope you didn't just do what I think you did." Alice said looking at me in disbelief as we started to walk back the way we came. "Oh believe it!" I said, smiling at Alice. "Do you know how expensive this is?" Alice asked me with a slight squeak in her voice. That's so cute. "Of course I do! I paid for it!" I replied, smile never wavering. "W-why would you do that?" She asked incredulously. "It reminded me of your eyes." I said. Alice stared at me for a little before smiling and shaking her head in disbelief. "Just hide it under your dress sleeve." I said while looking back at her. "I will. Thank you Bella." Alice said with a beaming smile. I would have smiled back but something strange stopped me._

_I leaned down and whispered into Alice's ear, "I think that man is following us." I saw an alleyway up ahead and pulled Alice down the alley with me. I stopped and turned around, waiting. Alice grabbed my dress sleeve tightly. We watched as a man with blonde hair tied back with a string walked into the alleyway and stopped._

"_Why are you following us? What do you want?" I spat vehemently. A disturbing chuckle made a shiver run up my spine. "Ah, you both smell divine. But don't worry; I'll get what I want soon. It isn't the right time yet." He stated, eyes glowing a disturbing blood red._

[Alice]

"Why are you following us? What do you want?" Bella spat, venom laced in her tone. A dark chuckle echoed off the alley walls that made a shiver run up both of our spines.

"Ah, you both smell divine. But don't worry; I'll get what I want soon. It isn't the right time yet" He stated, eyes glowing a disturbing blood red. And with a skin crawling smirk he disappeared, like he wasn't there at all. I hadn't realized I was shaking until Bella wrapped her arms around my shoulders and pulled me into her.

"Shhh, it's ok. He's gone now, Alice" Bella reassured me softly as she rubbed small circles on my back. I could tell she was trying to be strong for me. I could hear the slight tremor in her voice, the fear just below the surface. She may be trying to hide it but I knew that that man had scared her as well. I didn't want her to know I could see though her, but I wanted to comfort her as well. So, I wrapped my arms around her waist and squeezed tightly.

I didn't want to move from our position, It felt so natural. We had both calmed down a while ago but she hadn't made a move to let go; I didn't mind one bit. I pleasant feeling of warmth was spreading through my chest and I didn't want it to stop. I have never felt so content and safe in my entire life. I wanted to bask in this feeling. With a smile I nuzzled my face into the crook of her neck and let out a contented sigh as my eyes fell shut. In response to my movement Bella placed a hand on the back of my head to hug me to her while the other stayed around my shoulder and her cheek rested on my hair. We stayed like this until Bella gently pulled away with her hands resting on my shoulders. Nothing had to be said; words wouldn't fit into this moment. Bella jerked her head to the entrance of the alley with a smile and started walking. With a smile of my own I caught up with her and grabbed her hand in mine. Bella made no move to pull her hand away just gave my hand a light squeeze in return.

We made our way down the street back to the automobile and Joseph. Nothing mattered in that moment, nothing could put me down. Not the stares we were getting, not the looks of disapproval, and not even the looks of disgust. I had nothing to worry about. No one knew us. Father had always kept me away from the public eye so no one knew what I looked like. Right now I was free of Father's watchful gaze. Right now I can just… be. For once in a very long time there was no one to control me, there was no one looking over my shoulder.

When we got back to the automobile Joseph said nothing. He just smiled at our joined hands and started to drive us home. Our hands stayed joined together until we got to the front door and thanked Joseph for the ride. I reluctantly let go of Bella's hand and moved to open the door. But to my surprise the door swung open before I could take purchase on the handle.

"Ah! There you are, my lovely! I've been waiting for you to come home so I can talk to you." Cecil said to Bella, ignoring my presence completely. Bella had her emotionless mask on again. Bella turned her gaze to me and her eyes softened.

"Go up to our room and wait for me. I'll be up shortly." She said with faux authority. I bowed to her and did what I was told. I had a feeling in my gut that this would not end positively. But I could do nothing but do as I was told. I couldn't interfere; It might give away our false master-servant relationship.

[Bella]

The way Cecil ignored Alice's presence made my anger spike. How dare he? Wasn't Alice his sister? How could he follow in his Father's shadow and shun Alice from the family? Like Father like son I suppose. I sighed in irritation.

"What do you want to talk to me about?" I asked with masked anger. Cecil flashed me what was supposed to be a charming smile. "Well you are a part of this family now and I've been thinking that I haven't quite given you a proper welcome yet." He said bringing his hand up to caress my cheek. I shuddered and flinched away from his touch in disgust. He must have thought It was out of pleasure because he moved closer with a smirk on his face.

"Yes, a proper welcome is in order." He said as lust clouded in his eyes, eyes so similar to Alice's. He tried to touch me again but I was not going to stand for It. With all my strength, I used my entire body to slam Cecil against the wall and hold him there.

"You will not touch me. I will not allow it." I hissed though clenched teeth. He had the nerve to smirk at me. "You're a feisty one. I love them feisty." He said, licking his lips. I pushed off of him quickly in disgust and headed to the stairs. I didn't get far however, right when I got to the bottom of the stairs I felt strong arms wrap around my waist and his nose against my neck as he inhaled. "I got you." He whispered huskily into my ear. I shuddered violently in disgust and out of pure instinct I slammed my foot down on his. He exclaimed in pain and let go of my waist. It was now or never. I bolted up the stairs and down the hall but little did anyone know that bright red eyes were glaring at an injured Cecil from outside a window.

I listened for a second just outside our room but when I heard no sign of pursuit I hurried into the room and closed the door behind me. I turned around and saw a very worried and angry looking Alice standing by the window. She must have seen what happened in a vision because without a word she opened her arms in invitation. Without hesitation I rushed to her and she gathered me into her arms.

"Shhh, Bella. I'm so sorry I couldn't help you." She whispered softly into my ear. Silent tears rolled down my cheeks and I squeezed her tightly to me to say that it was ok. I would never doubt that she had wanted to help me but I knew that if she did the outcome would have been much worse. I felt moisture on my shoulder and I realized that Alice was crying as well. The thought made my heart clench painfully in my chest. My tears stopped as I pulled back slightly and with a hand on either side of her face I gently made her look at me.

"Alice, It wasn't your fault. I know why you didn't help, I understand. Please stop crying." I said as tears threatened to spill from my eyes again. I wiped her tears away with my thumbs. She slowly stopped crying as well, our eye contact never wavering. When her eyes where finally dry she softly smiled up at me. I smiled in return and closed the small distance between us to kiss her gently on the forehead. A slight jolt of electricity went through me as I did so. My lips lingered on her forehead longer than it should have before I slowly pulled away. Alice's eyes were closed but opened when I pulled away. Something that I couldn't decipher flashed though her eyes but was gone as quickly as it came. She grabbed my hand and pulled me over to our bed. We climbed in and Alice cuddled into my side. With a smile I held her to me.

This felt right to have Alice so close to me. This wonderful woman next to me had to be a gift to the world. I had never met anyone that was so loving. Alice is a person to be treasured, even if no one else sees it I will protect this little treasure cuddled into my side. She has been through so much already and I swear that I will try my damnedest to protect her from the wrongs of the world. I will be her shield. This was my last promise to Alice and myself before I slipped into a dreamless sleep.

[James]

How dare such filth try to sully my meal? The blood tastes so much better when it's virgin blood. There's something about it, the blood is much smoother, more delicate on the palate. Ah, but what makes it better is fear. The fear that courses through the blood is a perfect seasoning on pure virgin blood.

The sound of the first gunshot pulls me from my musings. I smirk as I watch the humans fight. Pathetic. All I had to do was tell the owner of the rival company that the filth had slept with his daughter. How manipulative humans are. This is what you get for messing with my prey filthy human. I laugh out loud at my triumph.

"Soon my darlings. Soon you will be mine." I laugh some more as I leap off of the roof to a store building.

[Bella]

A knock on the door wakes me from my slumber. I look to my side and smile at the sight. Alice was still sleeping soundly and I didn't want to move. "Yes, what is it?" I ask the person behind the door. "The master left earlier this morning to attend to a company issue. I wanted to inform you of such. " I heard Joseph on the other side. "Thank you for telling me Joseph." I said. "You're welcome Bella." He said and walked away. I smiled at his use of my nick name, glad that he finally listened to what I told him. A movement on the bed caught my attention. Looking down, I gasped. The sunlight from the window was shining on Alice just right. It was like an angel had come to visit me. Alice was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I knew that right at that moment that something had changed inside of me; and nothing was going to reverse that change.

"Good morning, Bella." Alice said with a beaming smile. When I didn't say anything and just stared, Alice started to worry. "Bella? Bella are you ok?"

Alice's worry brought me back to the present. I just smiled in response. "You scared me. Don't just…" Alice trailed off when I lifted my hand to caress her cheek. We stared into each other's eyes before I leaned in to close the gap between us. When I met Alice's lips a sense of fulfillment washed over me. It lasted a couple seconds before I pulled away to see her reaction. My hand was still on Alice's cheek as my thumb continued to caress it as I waited for an answer. I started to panic when tears started to fall from her eyes.

"Alice, I'm so sorry. I'll never do it ag-…" I was cut off when Alice pulled her lips up to meet mine for a second kiss. This one lasted a little longer then the first. Alice broke the kiss but rested her forehead against my own. "Don't you dare start jumping to conclusions, my love." She said with a smile. My heart swelled at the endearment and without thinking I surged up to meet her lips again. Alice gasped in surprise but returned the kiss. The kiss started off slow and loving but picked up when our need started to grow. Without breaking the kiss Alice swung her leg over me and straddled my waist, dress riding up in the process. Her hands were beside my head on the pillow while my hands rested gently on her exposed thighs. I ran my tongue slowly on her bottom lip, asking for access. With a moan Alice opened her mouth for me. Our tongue were battling for dominance but was put to a stalemate when oxygen became an issue. Alice pulled away slowly, both of us panting heavily.

"I… I promise that I'm going to… protect you no matter what, my angel." I got out between breaths. She smiled lovingly at me with tears in her eyes before she leaned down and captured my lips in a searing kiss. Our tongues were battling again and to my surprise Alice won. I moaned into her mouth as she explored mine. My hands started to gently massaging her thighs and I smiled into our kiss when it elicited a deep moan. The door to our room slammed open at that exact moment.

"I can't believe those bastards killed Ce-…" The sentence was lost as they took in the sight before them.

A/N: Ah, I'm evil. I felt like it was a good place to stop. But anyway, sorry for the wait. Hope you liked this chapter because I'm pretty sure the next one will be the last. And then I can start on the sequel/main story. Look forward to it!

Have a Happy 4th of July everyone and pop plenty of fireworks because I won't be able to. Hawaii has made popping fireworks illegal unless you have a permit and they limit you. Damn you Hawaii government!

I apologize for any grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.

Thanks for reading! :)

Reviews are greatly appreciated! I thank you all who have reviewed so far!

(Just to let you guys know I only speak English and some Japanese so don't review in Spanish or anything like that. For my other story someone reviewed in Spanish and I had no idea what was happening… maybe that was the point…)


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Are any of the Twilight girls together? No? Then I don't own Twilight. Simple as that.

A/N: Oh my god guys! This is the final chapter to Acceptance in hard times! I see the light at the end of the tunnel! We have been through much together (sniff). But do not fret! It is not good bye. The sequel will be making its way to an electronic device near you in the soon to come future. The title will be "Acceptance of the past and present". Look forward to it! :)

Anyways, sorry for the slight wait at such a crucial part in the story. I left you at a nasty cliffhanger. Forgive me, my cruel side likes to rear its head every so often. But my brain is already on over drive thinking of new stories. Ah, so many fantasies that need to be shared.

~ Chapter 7 ~

Final Chapter

_You'll never know how strong you are…_

_until being strong is the only choice you have._

_- Unknown_

(Recap of chapter 6)

"_Alice, I'm so sorry. I'll never do it ag-…" I was cut off when Alice pulled her lips up to meet mine for a second kiss. This one lasted a little longer then the first. Alice broke the kiss but rested her forehead against my own. "Don't you dare start jumping to conclusions, my love." She said with a smile. My heart swelled at the endearment and without thinking I surged up to meet her lips again. Alice gasped in surprise but returned the kiss. The kiss started off slow and loving but picked up when our need started to grow. Without breaking the kiss Alice swung her leg over me and straddled my waist, dress riding up in the process. Her hands were beside my head on the pillow while my hands rested gently on her exposed thighs. I ran my tongue slowly on her bottom lip, asking for access. With a moan Alice opened her mouth for me. Our tongues were battling for dominance but was put to a stalemate when oxygen became an issue. Alice pulled away slowly, both of us panting heavily. _

"_I… I promise that I'm going to… protect you no matter what, my angel." I got out between breaths. She smiled lovingly at me with tears in her eyes before she leaned down and captured my lips in a searing kiss. Our tongues were battling again and to my surprise Alice won. I moaned into her mouth as she explored mine. My hands started to gently massaging her thighs and I smiled into our kiss when it elicited a deep moan. The door to our room slammed open at that exact moment._

"_I can't believe those bastards killed Ce-…" The sentence was lost as they took in the sight before them. _

[Bella]

Ah, fuck…

The room was dead still. The silence was deafening. No one dared move as thoughts were being slowly processed. Alice had a look of pure horror on her face, unlike "father" and I. Our faces were devoid of emotion, not one thing betrayed what we were thinking. Alice, who was still straddling me, started to shake. In a discreet way I squeezed her thighs where my hands were in a sign of comfort. It may not do much in our current situation but it did let her know I was here.

He opened and closed his mouth a couple times as if looking for the words to say. It would have been quite funny if the situation was different. Finally after a minute or two of silence, it was abruptly and rudely broken.

"MARY ALICE BRANDON!" His voice broke the eerie calm and replaced it with a strong burst of chaos.

His sudden outburst startled Alice and I, and out of nowhere she wasn't on top of me anymore. She was being half dragged out of our room. In a second, I was on my feet scrambling for the door. I promised Alice and myself that I would protect her. And I will, till my last dying breath. If it was the last thing I did.

"I wouldn't have believed that you would fall any lower. But here you are, taking advantage of your sweet sister. It hasn't even been a year yet. Where you're going you'll never see her again." His tone was between incredulous and disbelief.

I was so close, but a foot away from prying her from that man's grasp. So close yet so far. I was just out the door and in the hallway when a strong arm restrained me by the waist and another covered my mouth.

"Shhh, Bella. There's nothing you can do. Let her go for now. You'll only make things worse. You can't save her if you're there too." I heard a familiar voice whisper in my ear. Joseph.

I struggled for a little until her eyes caught mine. They were pleading. They were pleading me to let her go. That she would be ok. She didn't want me to go where he was taking her. The look in her eyes with her added tears broke my heart. But when she disappeared from my sight and the automobile left the house, it shattered. It shattered into a million pieces, and I broke down. The pain was too much, I slumped to the ground in a heap of tears and heart wrenching wails.

[Alice]

My heart was aching while silent tears rolled down my face. I didn't put up a fight or say anything the entire ride to the asylum. It would do me no good. No amount of fighting or seething words would get me out of this.

"Well, Mary Alice. You see that? That's going to be your new home. Lovely isn't it?" Father said as he pulled me to the entrance. What a depressing building. As if coming here wasn't depressing enough.

I said nothing in response as I was pulled into the door and up to the front desk. A man with short black hair was behind the desk but he didn't look up from the papers he was writing on even as he started to talk.

"How may I help you sir? Are you here to admit someone?" His voice was smooth and clear but it made a shiver run up my spine.

"Yes. My daughter here has an interesting sexual preference and she claims to see visions of the future." When father said that I claimed to see the future the man's pen stopped abruptly and he finally looked up. When his eyes locked with mine I squeaked in surprise and tried to break free of father's grip on my arm. The man's eyes were bright red just like the other man we met in the alley. Father barely reacted to my attempt to get free he just gripped my arm tighter.

"It is just a birth defect child. Do not worry." He said to me while flashing a smile. It didn't reassure me in the least. He then turned to father. "We will take good care of her here sir. We'll do what we can to fix her. Please sign these papers so we know that you understand that she might not be returned to you. Some are quite hard to fix."

"Don't worry. I don't expect her back. She is too far gone. Put her out of her misery if you must." Father said before signing the papers and turning on his heel to leave. Right when he was about to step out the door I spoke to him one last time.

"Good bye, father." He stopped at the door.

"Good bye, Mary Alice." He said before he disappeared out the door. I started to cry then. For once in such a long time his voice held no hatred or disappointment. Even if it was for just a little while I got to glimpse what he used to be. I got to hear one last time what his voice sounded like before he hated me, before mother died. I got to see one last time the father I used to love.

"Ms. Brandon, I will show you to your cell now." A woman's voice said to me. I didn't say anything; I just let her lead me down the slightly lit hallway.

The deeper into the building we went the louder the screams got. When she unlocked my cell and locked it again behind me I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. If you weren't crazy when you were admitted you would eventually go crazy from the constant wails, screams, and cries of anguish and pain.

[Bella]

I cried for hours. The servants and Joseph tried to calm me down but nothing worked. I had just lost the best thing that has ever happened to me. I had just found out how much she meant to me and now she was gone. Sweet Alice was now in the place that I wanted to keep her away from.

I was at a loss until the front door slammed, signaling his return. I stopped crying then. It was like a switch had been flipped and I knew what I had to do. I turned to Joseph.

"Joseph, get me one of your trousers and a shirt. Then meet me outside with the automobile ready." When he nodded his understanding I made my way down the stairs. I needed to have a little talk with father dearest.

"Ah, there you are Isabel. I apologize for what Mary Alice did. I hope she didn't-" He didn't get to finish his sentence. I had had enough of his crap. I was not going to take any more of this. So, I didn't let him finish. I used as much force as I could muster and I let my fist have the pleasure of slamming into his face. He fell not so gracefully to the floor.

"What the hell-!" I cut him off.

"No! You listen to me! I will not take this crap from you anymore! How dare you! How dare you treat your blood daughter in such a way! She has done nothing wrong! Alice has no control over what she sees. She would never just watch her mother die. You were the one who did not listen, she tried. Alice loved her mother. She was the only one who accepted Alice as she was, did not care what she could see. Yes, you loved your wife but how dare you blame your daughter! It just shows how weak you really were." He didn't say a thing, just stared at me stunned. But I was not finished yet.

"And I do not care that Alice is a woman. I do not care that she is "damaged". She is a special gift to the world, a very valuable treasure. I love Mary-Alice Brandon. And I will not let you get in the way of that!" I yelled the last sentence in his face and stepped over him toward the door.

Joseph was waiting for me like I told him to and when I closed the door to the automobile it started moving immediately.

"Nicely done." He said as he handed me some of his clothes. I just smiled at him in response. The asylum was a couple towns over and it would take some time to get there. I placed the clothes on the seat next to me. I'll change when we get closer. I can't very well mount a rescue mission in this dress now can I?

(Asylum)

Heh, I hadn't actually thought this through. There were likely to be caretakers in the building so I can't very well go strolling in. I was in deep thought when I noticed that there were windows all around the building. The cells had windows… They weren't very big but a person could fit through. I guess I got my plan. I told Joseph what I was going to do and hopped out the door. It was raining really hard and every so often I would hear thunder or see a flash of lightning. I was sure Alice would see that I was coming and would give me a sign. When I was almost to the back of the building I saw a head sticking out of a third story window waving at me. I could barely see but I noticed that there were trees lining the outside of the building. There was one particular tree that had a branch that was close enough to Alice's window that she could jump. No one would have been able to escape unless someone was on the branch already to steady them when they jumped.

I started to climb the tree. I finally got up on that branch after slipping a few times from the rain. I turned to look at Alice. I was closer now so I could see her through the rain. Her hair was cut short now and it pointing out every which way. She was wearing the asylum uniform now and it had her patient number on it.

"You're going to have to jump over to me Alice. I'll catch you." I said to her extending the arm out that wasn't holding on to the tree. She nodded her head and was about to climb onto the window sill when her eyes went blank. She was having a vision. When she came to a look of absolute horror crossed her face. She started to cry and yell at me in hysterics.

"No, no, no, no, no. He's here, Bella! You have to leave! Bella, Please!" I could barely understand her because she was crying so hard. I started to panic.

"Alice, what's the matter? What's going on? I can't leave you-" I was cut off abruptly when something pulled me backwards by the collar of my shirt. The force of the pull made me lose my balance, I was going to fall. Alice surged forward, extending her hand out for me. I reached my hand out as well. It was like the world had slowed down to mock our attempt. Right when my fingers brushed Alice's the world returned to normal, and I was falling again.

Wasn't my life supposed to flash before my eyes in moments like this? Wasn't I supposed to see what I accomplished in my life so far? Wasn't I supposed to see all the good times? Guess not. All I could see was the rainy night sky. A flash of lightning lit up the darkness and I saw Alice's face. She was watching me fall as she cried, her hand still outstretched. Her face was so full of pain and I'm the one causing it. I can't believe I failed.

My back slammed on to the wet unforgiving ground and an unexplainable pain shot through my spine. I only had two thoughts as I was pulled into the darkness.

I'm so sorry, Alice.

I broke my promise.

**THE END… For now…**

_I'm gonna go to the new world_

_With nothing but the strength you gave me_

_There's nothing to be afraid of_

_I know your love will lead me where I should be_

_Even if it is dark and hard times are near_

_I don't wanna give up my heart_

_-New World by Charice_

A/N: Wait! Before you come at me with torches and pitch forks let me remind you that there will be a sequel.

Man, I actually cried writing this last chapter. But anyway without further ado let me give you the summary to the sequel to tide you over till I can gather my thoughts on to virtual paper.

Summary: Alice and Bella have finally met again. Their love for each other survived death and the passage of time. Their love may not have changed but they themselves have. Both are no longer human and now Bella has more than just Alice to protect.

I apologize for any grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.

Thanks for reading all the way through! :)

Reviews are greatly appreciated! I thank you all who have reviewed so far!


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